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Tuesday, 2 August 2016

Festival Review: TECH-FEST! Part 2

Fit for an Autopsy. Photo Credit: Ryan Winstanley

SATURDAY

So
TechFest sees it's day two (or three with the early birds) and things
are well on their way. It's starting to feel a bit more like a
festival and the momentum has hit us and we start to feel that cycle
of waking back up to the Metal. So the Technical orientated Metal
that saw some fun and instrumental starts continues into another day
of solid music.

The Parallax Method

So we're starting with
another instrumental act and continuing what is starting to feel like
a slight theme to this years TechFest. However, where a lot of the
instrumental metal so far has kept to a lot of very impressive
technical guitar playing, these guys focus a bit more on the fun of
the music itself. It's still felt and it's still technical but it
doesn't feel so reliant on that and can be simple and fun at the same
time. What's a hard slot for a festival takes a good but not amazing
start. It is still a hard slot to fill!

Now these guys were quite the worthwhile wait.
Smashing it on stage and bringing up the energy levels to get things
moving. They were kicking up the kind of energy you would expect from
later day bands and the audience could feel it too. How was it so
early in the day with these guys performing like that? The strong
metal managed it's way to everyone. Great performance by these guys
putting so much into each moment.

Pushing
the stage presence as far as it can go, these guys have a visceral
approach with their music and performance. Despite the powerful metal
that seemed intent on scathing through you, guitars and vocals
especially, they kept in some very nice moments with slight melodies.
There was something about these guys that felt very raw. Overall the
band is a power to be reckoned with.

These guys give a rather atmospheric start
and it proves slow if you were to just walk in on it. This build up
is not unfounded and it leads so well into a brutality that just
hasn't been reached so far. We're stepping up our game this time.
These guys know their shit and are powerful in their approach to
strong extreme Metal. Welcome brutality for this point of the
festival and making them one of the strongest hitters so far.

So the levels of brutality certainly doesn't fall at
this point, something which I'd have expected coming from the last
band. However, despite the very together and on point approach to
their music, there was something lacking in getting it across to the
audience. Something in the energy or engagement but it just felt a
lot more watching them rehearse over perform. That being said
everything was just so precise that they could probably play it in
their sleep.

Not going to lie: this was another band that the name is
distracting and attracting. I was just not quite sure what to expect.
After the intensity of brutality that we had with some of the
previous bands these guys were a step down in that area in favour of
some better and catchier melodies. At this point of the festival I
think it was very welcome. The intensity would tire on some and
perhaps push people to the edge of moshing. The audience seemed to
really get on board with this and what was ably performed was quickly
taken up by the crowd.

Now these guys were so comfortable on stage it was
as if they lived it. Their approach to the music was energetic and
powerful and well organised. There was a sense that they'd really
grown into the music they play. Making this for quite an effective
performance by the band. Their music is strong metal but this
approach to performing just makes it hit you just that much harder.
Such a good thing to witness and a lot of fun to get your inner
metalhead out to.

Bringing it into a completely different direction
atmospherically speaking, Sithu Aye are another instrumental act.
There is a lot more sense of the cosmic and fun gamer vibes as well.
The metal grooves fitting over the top for something that gives a
good mood and feels more fun and less serious or less intense. It's
chilled and fun and works it's way round most people in the audience.

What
can be atmospheric or brutal on CD doesn't always make it through to
the performance. In fact some performances can come across quite
different. Fallujah have that atmospheric side to their music but
it's strange how in performance their music tears its way through you
and opens up the audience and the pit. The energetic power hits more
than the atmosphere that is more of a supplement and lends itself to
that brutality. It was so well delivered by the band it's actually
quite surprising how it all works and particularly with the level of
variety that they bring to their tracks.

So, so far it feels like a step up in brutality and giving
some more of the extreme metal side of things and a little less of
the instrumental powers. Funnily enough not leaving out the
atmosphere. So when Protest the Hero take us to a close on Saturday
things had been violently built up in the air, it was such a strong
day that it was almost tough to follow – almost. You see, what we
have also seen is quite a bit of variance. There was quite a bit of
variety between the bands. Here we see something that hadn't really
been touched upon so far. They actually give an energetic and strong
performance and the metal is powerful. That being said, the biggest
thing that hit me was the comic presence they have on stage. They can
be strong they can be melodic but they can have a lot of fun doing it
and that's exactly what they want to bring and what they want to do.
With such powerful and intense bands leading up to this I don't think
they could have gone down any better. This kind of fun needs to be
had and it needs to be just that good!

Again, thanks
to all the bands that played and everyone who made it happen, we also
apologise to all bands that we missed. Finally, keep an eye out for
the conclusion to the Festival with Sunday's bands such as Between
the Buried and Me! Also the last minute changes.